India's unexpected 0-2 series loss to the Proteas in the just finished red-ball series has left the team reeling.
Just days ago, South Africa gave India their heaviest loss in Test cricket, against all odds. It was South Africa's maiden series victory in the subcontinent in a quarter-century and India's second defeat at home in just a year after a 12-year invincible streak.
The positive trajectory gained during the past six months has all but vanished and the futures of multiple squad members - as well as head mentor the coach - are under scrutiny.
Initial Hope Vanishes
The new-look squad's strong showing in England this season, under a different skipper, indicated a seamless changeover following the near-simultaneous retirements of key players Ashwin, Sharma, and Kohli.
An easy 2-0 win over the Windies at the start of the domestic season enhanced that perception, before the South Africans came and inflicted a crushing loss.
The home side were somewhat unlucky that skipper Shubman Gill suffered an injury quickly in the opening Test and was ruled out in the contest. But that does not excuse or justify the team of the terribly sub-par showing in the two games against the opposition.
A number of star cricketers were damaged, and several players aspiring to extended tenures in Tests were revealed to be not yet good enough - in skill or mindset - for the Test cricket.
Worrying Trend
This represented the second whitewash on home soil endured by the Indian team in just more than a year. Last year, little-fancied the Kiwis had pulled off a remarkable 3-0 victory which practically cost India a place in the WTC final.
The latest loss to the Proteas risks harming India's prospects of reaching the decider of this season as well.
Previously ranked third in the WTC table ahead of the matches, India have fallen to number five. Even though nine further games are remaining, five of these are against Australia. Usually, competing on home turf would be a significant benefit - including against the mighty Aussies. Yet the debacles against the Kiwis and South Africa leave little scope for such comfort.
Causes of the Fall
The national team's frailty in Test cricket has been significantly highlighted. However, the reason India have struggled so much in Tests on home soil recently is continues to confuse.
From the year 2000 onwards, the Indian cricket team were regarded as invincible in Test cricket at home. In hot, humid conditions and on pitches that helped spin and benefited their players, India faced little challenge. A rare failure, like in 2012-13 against the English, was viewed as an anomaly.
Currently, India look to be beatable at home.
Against New Zealand in last year and the Proteas this year, India were hoisted by their own petard. The pitches they developed to favor their game backfired spectacularly, as rivals exploited them better, surpassing India's batsmen and bowlers when it counted the most.
The Core Issue
Certain analysts propose that the Indian team is failing in home conditions because domestic pitches have been modified from spinning tracks to fast tracks to get cricketers ready to do well abroad.
Some point out that the IPL, in which many overseas players participate, has removed the unfamiliarity and challenge subcontinental pitches would challenge them with in the past.
Although there is a degree of accuracy in both analyses, it fails to account for why India's performances on home soil have witnessed such a staggering decline.
Several Weaknesses
Many past stars point to a complex, multi-headed problem, not just one or two factors.
Analysts and squad members have identified various flaws after the team's humiliating loss to the South Africans: underestimating the opposition, lack of preparation, poor choices, excessive self-belief, frequent changes of the starting eleven, and prioritising limited-overs over Test cricket.
This was evident in the performances of the team.
Players like Pant and Jaiswal, of whom high hopes were held, paid for their lack of application, while Sai Sudarshan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Jurel - who were hoping to secure their place in the team - were found wanting in ability and attitude, facing the fallout for their casual attitude.
A small number - Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Sundar - did justice to their ability and standing - but not sufficiently to secure victories.
Leadership Under Fire
The post-mortem targeted the entire setup - the selection panel and backroom team were also questioned, fuelled by upset followers and critical former players. In the spotlight of the criticism was team coach Gautam Gambhir.
In his post-series press